


A Meeting of Chance

by TheLadyJ



Category: Actor RPF, American Actor RPF
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-05
Updated: 2013-07-05
Packaged: 2017-12-17 17:40:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/870195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLadyJ/pseuds/TheLadyJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One night changed both their lives. All she wanted to do was get home from work, all he wanted was to forget about his ex. Both achieved their goals, just not the way they planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Meeting of Chance

“Fucking hell, you’re heavy.” Ever dragged the half limp, half unconscious man out of her car and up the walkway to her door.

When she had gone to work that night, she had not expected her night to end up so hectic. The work at the club was simple enough, take orders, serve drinks. She only did it when the owner needed her to fill in. She had a real job, one that paid the bills. She had just been doing a friend a favor.

The club had been busy and the time had flown by in a haze of overly loud rock music and drunk frat boys who had a tendency to get a little handsy from time to time. It never bothered Ever, she had grown used to it. She had put herself through graduate school working tables, and kicking more than a few asses. She could hold her own. Which was how she found herself dragging a drunk man into her house.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” the man said from above her.

Her head was tucked into his chest and her arms wrapped around his midsection. “Please, for the love of God, do not throw up on me.” She huffed, removing one arm to slide her key in the lock. The door clicked and she pushed it open with her foot.

“I really think I’m going to be sick,” he said again as she dragged him as quietly as she could across the entrance hall and into her room. She really didn’t need to explain to her roommate why she was dragging a very drunk Chris Evans into her bedroom. Her roommate slept on the top floor, but that didn’t mean the house was sound proof.

“If you throw up on me, I will kick your ass. Don’t think I can’t do it.” Ever dropped Chris on the bed and ran to the bathroom to get a trashcan. At least if he was going to throw up, he would do it somewhere she could contain it. She wasn’t going to be cleaning up barf all night.

Walking out of the bathroom, she stopped in her tracks. The man she had left sitting on her bed, was laying width wise, snoring softly. She put the trash can down and came around the bed to stand in front of him.

“You’re an asshole, Chris Evans,” she said, taking his shoes off and grabbing his arm to pull him lengthwise on the bed. His shirt slid up as she moved him, revealing the pale, tattooed skin.

“I’ve been told that before,” he mumbled and turned on his side to snuggle the pillow he wasn’t laying on.

She glared at the man in front of her, “I should have left you in the street, drunk, to fend off the paparazzi. That would have been a good headline, wouldn’t it! Captain America goes on a binge and makes an ass of himself at a local club.”

She really wanted to dump his drunk ass on the floor and tell him to find the most comfortable spot down there, but that would be mean and she wasn’t mean.

Ever wasn’t typically in the business of rescuing drunks. In fact she rather liked to watch them make complete asses of themselves in front of the world. The only reason she had stopped was because the crowd of picture takers were blocking her way out of the club parking lot. She had briefly considered vehicular manslaughter but she didn’t think “because paparazzi” would be a viable defence. No matter how much most people found their existence to be a crime.

It had taken her less than five minutes to disperse the crowd. One man had tried to take her picture. She had pulled the camera and phone from his hands and landed a kick to his calf, sending him to the ground, the rest of the crowd had dispersed, for the most part.

The man at the center of the crowd and the reason for the paparazzi had of course been the man passed out on her bed. She had tried, in vain, to get him to call a cab, but he wasn’t willing to wait around for one. He kept shouting that he needed to find something. His sanity, she had guessed, perhaps even his sobriety. She had even told him she would wait with him, if he was worried about the parasites. Instead he had stumbled into her car.

She had tried to find his wallet so that she could at least take him to his area and hope he’d find his way home, but he had been sitting on it. Coping a feel had been temping, but not something she had been willing to do.

“Now what?” She asked the silent room.

She could go sleep on the couch, but that would create awkward questions in the morning, when her roommate found her. Sleeping on the floor wasn’t that appealing, but the idea of sharing her bed with a drunk guy wasn’t on her top ten things to do list, either. She didn’t care that it was Chris “Stupid Head” Evans. Resigning herself to a restless night of sharing her already too small bed, Ever sighed. This was not how she had wanted her night to end. She pulled the pillow out of Chris’s arms and got under the covers. At least he was passed out enough not to stir when she had slid them out from under him.

___________________________

Chris woke suddenly, the throbbing in his head reaching a level he could no longer ignore. He hardly remembered the night before, he had so much to drink. His mouth felt like something had died and his body was slow and sore. He shifted slightly on the bed he was laying in, it was firmer than his own bed and a fair bit smaller too. He wasn’t sure where he was, and he was scared to open his eyes. The pain of being hit over the head with a baseball bat would be less painful than the throbbing he was suffering from. He was dreading adding light to the mix.

Something, or rather someone, shifted under him and he opened his eyes, reluctant to let the light in. He was thankful to find a fairly dark room, though he could make out the shapes and details of it. They were muted and dull in the dim light. A woman Chris didn’t know lay beside him. Her nose pressed into his chest. His arm slung over her shoulder. Her dark brown hair tangled in his fingers.

He remembered even less of the night before than he thought. He would have remembered following the woman next to him home. She was pretty and soft. Chris tried to remove his arm from her shoulder as gently as he could, but his movement woke her. Startling her out of sleep, she pushed violently off on him and fell out of the bed.

“Son of a bitch!” She groaned from the floor. The sound of her voice caused Chris’s head to throb and he groaned.

“Ever!” A new voice shouted from behind the door, followed by a knock, though Chris was sure it was more of a bang. “Ever, are you ok?” The door knob wiggled but the door didn’t open. “Why is your door locked? Did you bring home a guy from the club?”

The woman on the floor sighed, “I’m fine, Pippa, I just… tripped on my bed and stubbed my toe. And no, I didn’t bring a guy home.” The woman lied.

Chris moved to the edge of the bed to look at the person on the floor.

“Okay. Well, I’m going to work. I’ll see you tonight.” Chris was thankful when he heard a door close and a car start. He didn’t have to deal with anymore shouting.

“Why are you on the floor?” he asked the woman as innocently as he could. His head was killing him, the shouting and banging from the woman— Pippa?— hadn’t helped.

“Shut up,” the brunette said sitting up.

Chris wanted to laugh, but he couldn’t find the strength. “I’m Chris. Who are you?” he asked, rolling back to the side of the bed he had occupied.

“I know who you are. I’m Everly.” Everly stood up and brushed herself off. Chris let his eyes scan the woman in front of him. She wasn’t terribly tall, maybe 5’4, her dark brown hair was shoulder blade length, stick straight and soft, his memory supplied. Her tank top was tight and showed off perhaps more of her breasts then was decent, but Chris didn’t mind.

“How did I get here?” He was pretty sure he would have remembered going home with a pretty woman like Everly. He was also still fully clothed, even if she wasn’t. Chris was good, but he was pretty sure even he couldn’t have sex with his belt still buckled.

“You apparently make it a habit of climbing into strangers cars and refusing to get out when you’re blitzed.” Everly moved over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of workout clothing.

“I what?” Chris frowned, that actually wasn’t like him at all.

“You climbed into my car last night and wouldn’t get out. Even after I told you I’d call you a cab.” She moved across the room, through an open door and shut it.

Chris buried his head in the pillow he had been using and tried to think. He didn’t remember getting into her car and sure as hell didn’t remember drinking enough to black out. He remembered drinking a lot, but not that much. He had been so careful in public, not to allow himself to get too drunk.

A sudden flash of light tore through his brain as he remembered pictures being taken. People circling him in the street, he had been trying to find his phone. He had lost it sometime during the night and went out looking for it. His buddies had stayed behind at a bar while he went looking his phone.

The bathroom door opened and Everly walked out in a pair of jogging pants and a sports bra. Chris’s eyes went to the bits of ink on her skin that he hadn’t noticed before, words written down her side.

“Drink this, and take these,” she said, handing him a glass of water and four advil. “I’m going for a jog. When I get back, I will take you home, if thats okay.”

Chris sat up gently, willing his stomach to stay where it was and not end up on the woman who was taking care of him. He simply nodded and took the pills and water.

“Make yourself at home. Bentley looks like a killer, but he’s a big softy, don’t let him fool you. There is food in the fridge, if you decide to eat. Throw up, you better clean it up.”

“Thanks.” Chris set the glass down on the bedside table and looked around the room. The light hadn’t been turned on and he had no desire to fix that.

He was far too confused by the events that landed him in Everly’s bedroom. He had been out with friends, they had been trying to cheer him up after his break up.

He was still having trouble understanding the breakup and an even harder time accepting it. They had been together for almost a year. He had put so much into his relationship, given her everything he had to offer and she had taken it all and thrown it out. They had only been broken up for a month. Every bit of his heart hurt just thinking about it. But the images flooded his brain anyway. The weight of the ring in his pocket, the smile on his face as he snuck into her apartment to set up for the dinner he had planned. The shock of finding her place not as empty as he had expected, seeing her tangled in someone elses arms. It all came back to him. The dead feeling in his gut returned. He had not taken the breakup well.

It had been why he had been willing to go out with his friends. They wanted him to have a good time, he wanted to get drunk enough to numb the pain. At some point he had tried to call his ex, but someone had taken the phone from him. He figured that was how he had lost it.

Why didn’t he remember meeting Everly? Why didn’t he remember getting into her car? How had he ended up in her bed, still fully clothed, no less?

The pain in his head had subsided and the growling of his stomach alerted him to other issues. He had to pee and he was hungry. Crawling out of the very comfortable bed, Chris inspected the room Everly had walked out of and was pleased to see it was a bathroom.

Her room was simple and well kept, with little bits and pieces that gave him an idea of what she was like. Her book shelves were overflowing with text books, romance novels, and comic books. A student, or a teacher perhaps, someone who enjoyed love stories but also a comic book nerd. Chris’s brother-in-law liked comics, he had heard a fair bit about the graphic novel world from him. He couldn’t help it, he had to inspect the collection a little further. How often did he get to see someone’s bedroom without them in it.

He didn’t even know Everly, snooping in her room should have left a bad taste in his mouth, but he wanted to know the woman he had followed home.

Her collections were neat and orderly, numerical by collection and volume. Most of her series were Marvel. She appeared to have a love for Captain America, those were the ones she had the most, of at least.

Looking around the room he spotted more small things that alerted him to her personality and her passions.

A Captain America coffee cup sat on her desk, next to a coffee maker. Her desk was what Chris would consider organized chaos. Papers spread out all over the top, covering up the laptop. Pens of all colors sat in a hawkeye cup and the papers showed signs of correcting. Each of the pieces was written on the same topic, in different handwriting. Teacher, it was then, Chris thought as he moved the papers out of the way of the laptop. He didn’t dare open it, that was a violation of privacy he wasn’t willing to cross. He smiled down at the computer and ran his hands over the Captain America shield sticker that was stuck there.

Her room was clean and elegant, a simple purple and gray bedspread hung off the bed and Chris grabbed it up and made the bed. Her bedside table was stacked with books, post it notes stuck out from all sides of a few of them. All of them showed signs of being well read. Pictures of Everly and her friends and family hung on the wall along with a few framed black and white nature pictures.

He liked this girl. She had a personality, from what he could see of her room, her interests were diverse. Someone that wasn’t content to stick to one thing. She had a heart of gold too, if she was willing to take home drunk strays.

Moving out of her room, he decided to find the kitchen, he was hungry and was starting to feel more human. He wanted to thank Everly, for whatever it was she had done for him. A nice home cooked breakfast after a long run, would be something he could do for her.

Bentley, he discovered, was a very happy, golden lab puppy. His heart melted just a little more when the puppy ran up to him barking and jumping happily. Chris loved dogs, if there was one way to his heart faster than anything, it was a dog.

“Hey boy,” Chris crouched down and rubbed behind Bentley’s ears. “I’m going to make some breakfast. Wanna help?” Bentley barked and followed Chris through the house. It was a modest house, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, den and kitchen from what he could see. There was a door off the kitchen that he hadn’t tried to open. He had inspected her house enough. He had started to feel like he was breaking into her personal space without permission.

________________________________

Ever left the house at a dead run. She had not wanted to wake up that morning. She had somehow managed to get the best sleep she had in years. She was pretty sure it was because she had had someone next to her. She had forgotten how good it felt to wake up in someone’s arms.

Truth was, it felt nice and she hated it. She hated missing the contact of a man, she hated that her subconscious felt that to achieve satisfying sleep, she needed someone else there. She hated the idea of that kind of dependency.

She had lived for three years without a man. She hadn’t felt like she was missing out, until she woke up with her nose pressed to Chris’s chest. The sound of his heart beating in her ears and the weight of his arm around her. Even the feel of his fingers through her hair. The smell of his cologne was still fresh in her nose.

Her run lasted longer than normal. She had pushed herself harder, needing to run the emotions that had taken hold of her, out. When she walked into her house, breath coming out in heavy bursts, she had expected to see Chris passed out on her bed, at the very least still in her room. Hangovers were easy to bounce back from. She had not expected to come home to the smell of food cooking. The sounds of laughter met her ears as she walked into the kitchen and stopped.

Chris was standing over the stove, pushing eggs around in the skillet and adding bits of fried potatoes and sausage. A green bell pepper sat on the chopping block and Bentley was running between Chris’s legs, making him laugh.

“Not exactly what I was expecting, when I said make yourself at home.” Ever moved to the refrigerator for a bottle of water and drained it in one go before speaking again. “I see the advil kicked in.”

“Yes, thank you for that,” Chris said turning to look at her.

“Whatcha making?”

“Breakfast burritos, its one of the few things I know how to make that you had everything for.” Chris shrugged and went back to cooking. 

“Do I have time for a quick shower before it’s ready?” Chris nodded and Ever left the room. She wasn’t sure how she felt about having him cooking in her kitchen. It was… domestic and weird. No one had made her breakfast since before her divorce. Her feelings were fucking with her and she wasn’t sure what to make of that. She needed to get him out of her house and forget she ever met him. That was for the best. 

Dressed in her black slacks, loafers and lavender blouse, Ever pulled her hair back in a tight bun. Her glasses fixed to her face (she only wore contacts at the club and when she worked out), and went to find Chris.

_______________________________

“Hey, just in time for breakfast.” Chris stopped in his tracks when he looked up. The woman that stood before him could not possibly be the same woman he had just seen leave the kitchen.

“What exactly do you do?” he asked, placing the food on the table.

“Oh, I’m a teacher at a high school normally, but it’s summer, so I’m teaching a few courses at the community college. I don’t normally dress like this. The college has a dress code.” She made a face as she kicked off her shoes. “Thank God the high school doesn’t.”

Chris was pretty sure she was the reason the high school didn’t have a dress code like that. Her outfit, while totally innocent and very professional, gave the naughty librarian fantasy new meaning. High school boys would probably combust.

“Eat,” he said shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He pulled her chair out for her to sit. She gave him a funny look but still sat down, she laughed when he pushed her chair in.

“My mother raised me to be a gentleman,” he took his seat beside her and smiled.

As he sat in Everly’s kitchen, eating, he was struck by a strange thought. Life had never been this simple. He had never felt like he could totally be himself around new people. He’d always kept himself pretty reserved but somehow the woman before him had put him totally at ease. Maybe it was the fact that she had seen him in one of his worst moments. Maybe it was because she had not treated him any different than she would have, had he been a total stranger. No he didn’t suppose that was it. Had he actually been a total stranger, there was no way she would have brought him home. Yet the only time he had gotten the impression that she knew who he was, was when she had said she knew. She hadn’t addressed him by his name. Never truly given him any inclination that she truly did know who he was.

“I have to be on campus in two hours, so I should probably take you home after this. Unless you want to call a cab? I understand if you don’t want me knowing where you live.”

Chris couldn’t help giving her a funny look.

“Why would I have a problem with you knowing where I live? I know where you live.”

“I’m not Chris Evans, famous actor.” She laughed, “I’m Everly McAdams, high school english teacher. My anonymity is hardly the most important thing in the world. This, is really good by the way,” she said, taking a bite of her breakfast.

Chris beamed; he loved that she liked the food. “Thanks. I don’t mind catching a cab if you want, but if you would be so kind as to take me home, I would appreciate it. I don’t have my phone.”

“Is that what you were looking for? You kept saying you needed to find… something, but I couldn’t understand you. I could call the club, see if it got left there.”

“Do you work at the club too?”

She was a teacher for a high school and a college and moonlighted as a waitress at a dance club? This girl was multifaceted.

“Only when I’m needed, which is hardly ever. I’m not even on the payroll anymore. I just do it as a favor for the owner. He was good to me when I moved out here. Gave a girl from the east coast a job when she was down on her luck.”

“East coast, huh? Whereabouts?” She didn’t have an accent, he hadn’t pegged her for an east coaster.

“Boston, actually.”

Chris’s eyes lit up.

“I’m not originally from there, I’m from California, this is actually my house, fully paid off. Grandma left it to me. I did my undergraduate stuff at the University of Boston, lived there for seven years. Met my husband, got married and divorced there. Moved out here, because I decide, Boston was too small for me, my ex and his mistress.”

Chris frowned. This woman had loved someone and they had cheated on her? He didn’t know her all that well, but he couldn’t imagine cheating on her. That just didn’t work for him.

“I worked at the club while I got my Masters in English at UCLA. We should get going, though. We can talk on the way to your house.”

Chris nodded and cleaned up the table. He wanted to do the dishes but…

“Leave them, I’ll do them when I get home.”

“Did you just reach into my head and pull that thought out?” he asked walking into her room once again, in the hopes of finding his shoes.

“I’m just that good.” Everly slipped into her heels, grabbed her purse and keys, stuffed the papers and her computer into her backpack, and walked out. Chris followed.

“Nice tat,” he said, walking behind her. Her hand went to the back of her neck and she smiled. He had noticed the shield when he had pushed her chair in, but he hadn’t said anything.

“Thanks, it’s one of my faves.”

“One of? How many do you have?” he asked opening the door for her. That funny look was back on her face, he just shrugged and placed his hand on the small of her back as he led her out of the house.

“Umm,” she locked the front door, “four. My shield, the words on my side, my wrist and my calf.”

“What do the words on your side say?” He asked looking around at the outside of her house. He had missed a few things, while he was checking out the bottom floor of the house, like the stairs that lead to the rest.

“It’s a quote from Stephen King. It says, ‘Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.’ It spoke to be on a pretty deep level after my divorce.”

He nodded absently thinking about the quote, it had a painful truth to it.

He looked around the neighborhood, in an effort to not think about how much the quote resonated with him. He didn’t remember the drive to her house and the sight he was met with made his mouth drop. He knew where they were, he had looked at houses in the area, when he was buying a house. Her neighborhood had a waiting list. People had to die for new residents to get in. No house in her neighborhood sold for less than three million.

“You said your grandma left you this house?” he wondered out loud, sliding into her car.

“Yup, family house. My mom and grandma were both raised here. Nice, huh? I’d never be able to live here if it wasn’t paid off. Teacher’s salary is kind of lacking.”

______________________________________

“Miss McAdams?” A student from the front of the class raised his hand.

Ever was in the back of the classroom, talking to one of her students about her lack of progress in the class. She wasn’t about to let a student slip through the cracks, if she could prevent it.

Community college wasn’t high school, the students had to pay for their education and failing a class was a waste. It was something Ever would not willingly stand for.

“Yes?” She turned around to address the student and heard the ringing.

“Your phone’s going off.” The student pointed to her purse where the sound was coming from.

Ever frowned and her brows knitted together. She had turned her phone off, and in any case her phone belted out “Don’t Stop Believing,” by Journey when it rang.

Racing down the steps of the auditorium style classroom, Ever pulled out the phone she had confiscated from the photographer the night before.

“Hello?” She asked putting the phone to her ear. She had forgotten she had the phone. She probably should feel ashamed for having taken it from the asshole, but he had tried to take her picture. She had been trying to help Chris at the time and was in a less than stellar mood.

“Who is this? Why do you have my phone?”

She knew that voice. “Chris?” She’d spent all morning listening to him talk. She’d had enough reference through his movies to know the voice, even if she hadn’t spent the morning with him.

“Ever?” She had told him to call her that. No one ever called her Everly, unless she was in trouble. “Why do you have my phone?”

“I didn’t know it was your phone.” Her students were starting to stare at her and she needed to get off the phone.

She lowered her voice and turned her back to the class, “I took it off one of the paparazzi last night. I’d love to chat, but I’m in class. How about you meet me for lunch in an hour and I’ll give it back to you?”

“Where are you, exactly?” His voice was amused and held a hint of what she assumed was a smile.

“Los Angeles City College, I’ll meet you outside the admin building.” She hung up before he could respond, stuffed the phone into her pocket and turned back around to find her entire class staring at her. Varying degrees of curiosity and smug smiles on their face.

She cleared her throat, “Sorry about that.”

“Who’s Chris?” one student asked.

“Is he your boyfriend?” another supplied.

“No, Chris is just… someone I barely know.” But wouldn’t mind knowing much better, her subconscious added and she frowned.

The conversation played out in her head, as her students when back to work on the in class essay she had assigned. Did she just ask Chris Evans out? They didn’t need to go to lunch, she could have just as easily handed him the phone as a pass off and wash her hands of him. But instead she had suggested lunch, and he hadn’t objected.

The phone in her back pocket started going off again and she reached for it. Her attempt to stop it from ringing was in vain though, there was a lock on the phone and she of course had no way of knowing the code.

She dismissed the class shortly after that, the phone kept going off and distracting everyone, including herself. She was already plotting Chris’s death.

Slowly she packed her things as the students filed out. Trying with all her strength not to smash the incessantly ringing, overpriced blackberry that sat on the desk. She had a while before she was to meet Chris and she was glad for her time. It allowed her to drop her bag off at the office so she wouldn’t have to carry it around with her.

It didn’t take her long to finish packing and drop the bag off, so she decided to find a spot in front of the admin building and wait. Her mind was going a mile a minute. She was still having a hard time believing everything that had taken place that morning.

The black suv pulled up right in front of her and the window rolled down. Chris smiled at her from the driver seat. “Come here often?” he asked and laughed as she glared at him.

She pulled the door open and slid into the passenger seat. “This thing, would not stop going off,” she said tossing the phone his way. He caught it easily and grinned.

“I had to dismiss my class 40 minutes early, because I couldn’t turn it off.”

“Passcodes are the worst invention, when you’re in possession of a stolen phone. My heart bleeds for you.” The car started forward and Ever buckled her belt, before smacking Chris in the arm.

“So, where to?” he asked, pulling out onto the main road.

“There’s a bistro about a block down, if thats something you’d like.” She pointed to a tiny a shop down the street and Chris shrugged.

The car ride took all of five minutes. It was a waste of gas and an unnecessary trip, if she was being honest with herself. But her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

“What I want to know,” Ever said as she exited the vehicle, “is how a pap got your phone.”

Chris pulled the door open and let her in. “I’ve been wondering the same thing.”

_________________________________

Sitting in the bistro, Chris was content. He hadn’t expected to see Ever—ever again—but he was glad the fates had given him a chance to change that. When he had called his phone he had not expected anyone to answer it. He had pretty much given up the search for it. Prepared to list it as lost and get a replacement. On a whim he had called it, after having exhausted the search through his buddies and even the club he had last been at, the one he had met Everly at.

“You said you took this off a pap?” Chris asked when Ever set their food down, and took her seat.

“Yeah, the guy was taking pictures of me, getting in my face while I was trying to get you away from them. He kind of pissed me off.” She took a bite of her sandwich and a sip of her coffee and continued. “So I kicked him, and took the phone and his camera.”

Chris choked on his water. “You kicked him?”

“Not very hard!” she said, her bright green eyes held a hint of amusement as she ate her lunch. “Its not like I broke anything. The guy’ll live, which if you ask me, is the tragedy.”

“Ever!” Chris laughed, “That’s someone’s life you’re talking about.”

“Yeah and he gets his rocks off stealing phones and taking pictures of celebrities that don’t want their pictures taken. Captain America or not, you have a right to your privacy.” 

It was the first time since he had met her that she had acknowledged what he did, and referenced one of the characters he played. He hadn’t been surprised that it was Captain America that she mentioned, given the tattoo on the back of her neck and the comic books. But the way she said it, took him by surprise.

It was like, to her, it wasn’t that big of a deal that he played her favorite superhero. It didn’t matter that he was an actor with awards, he was still just a person and he deserved to be treated that way. It was refreshing to be treated like Chris Evans, average Boston Joe, not Chris Evans, Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor.

Chris sat back and watched the girl in front of him eat her sandwich and drink her coffee, like it was just a normal day in her normal life, when to him it was anything but. He was so used to staying to himself. He liked his life private. He had been happy with the life he was leading, making movies, reading scripts and when the time allowed it, hanging with his buddies and seeing his girl.

He actually hadn’t thought about her much in the twelve hours he’d known Ever and that was pretty nice.

“Are you going to eat? Or are you just going to sit there and watch me stuff my face? Because that’s kind of creepy.”

Chris shook his head, “Sorry.” He hadn’t realized he was staring. It was just amazing to him how different he felt when he was sitting in front of Ever. She was easy to talk to, she was calm and quiet and didn’t fill the silence with unneeded chatter.

“So, not working on any big movies right now?” she asked throwing her napkin down and looking up from her coffee cup.

“Not right now. Kind of taking a break until they start Avengers 2. Don’t want to burn myself out.” He had been going pretty much nonstop since he became Captain America and he was worn out. He hadn’t been home in his own bed for more than a month total for what felt like a year. He had always been on location. Living in hotels and out of suitcases got old after a while.

“Oh sure, wouldn’t want that.” Ever smiled. “Its gotta be hard on your girlfriend, you always being gone. You do have a girlfriend, right? I could swear Pippa had said something about… What? What did I say?”

Chris didn’t answer. He had figured that was the reason his relationship fell apart, but hearing someone that didn’t know much about him say it, hit him hard.

“I’m really sorry,” she said, looking down at her hands. The napkin she had thrown down was torn into tiny bits.

“What are you sorry about?” He covered her hands with his, “You didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t have a girlfriend. Not anymore. My buddies dragged me out last night to get my mind off of it. But that’s a story, I’d rather not tell right now.” He tried to smile, but it felt forced.

“You looked, sad. It’s not a look you should ever have on your face. You’re far too handsome for that. It’s like someone kicked a puppy, and thats just not okay. I don’t know what happened between you and your girl, but if she let you go, she’s not very bright, in my opinion. Which, I know, doesn’t count for much, but there it is.”

That was not the first time he had heard someone reference a puppy when they described him. Every time someone compared him to a puppy he felt like shaking his head, but Ever didn’t make him feel like it was a stupid comparison. Her opinion actually did mean something to him. He wasn’t sure why, but her words warmed his heart.

Hearing her ask about his ex had hit a spot in him he had been trying to hide away from. He wasn’t sure he was ready to date again, he had been hit a little too hard by the pain of betrayal but he wanted someone in his life. He was ready to settle down. Get married, have kids, raise a family. He had thought his ex was ready too, and she had been, just not with him.

He hadn’t wanted to dwell on the injustice of the way his relationship had ended. He was trying to make a new friend, not dwell on what he had lost. He searched his memory for anything else she had said that he could comment on.

“You think I’m handsome?” Chris teased, but something in his chest tightened.

Ever rolled her eyes, “Please, I have eyes, of course I think you’re handsome.” Her cheeks turned a slight pink, but she held his gaze and didn’t back down from her confession. “I need more coffee, and you need to eat.” She left him alone at the table while she threw away her trash and got another coffee. He had noticed the coffee pot in her room as well as the one in her kitchen, he was not shocked to see that she drank coffee like most people drank water. He had expected it given the state of her desk.

“I need to get back to campus, but you’re still eating, so I’ll just walk back.” She picked up her purse and Chris stood.

“Nope. No way, I drove you out here, I’ll drive you back.” He asked for a to go bag and walked Ever out of the bistro. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she could make it back on her own, this was a woman that had dragged his drunk ass into her house without much help from him. She had taken on a crowd of paparazzi and kicked one of them. She could handle herself. He just wasn’t ready to see her leave.

“You don’t have to do this, I have no problem walking back,” she said as he opened her door. “You’re very sweet, you know that? Opening doors, holding chairs out. If I didn’t know any better, I would say you actually were Captain America, pretending to be Chris Evans.”

“How do you know I’m not?” He winked. Being compared to a character he played was common, he had heard the comparison of him and Steve Rogers, but with her it was different again. Maybe it was because her knowledge of the character, but Chris was starting to think it was just her in general. She kind of amazed him.

“Steve can’t get drunk. Its the only thing that sets the two of you apart.”

Chris laughed, “Touche.”

He wished the drive was longer, something about the woman in the car made him want to keep driving. He pulled his SUV up to where he had picked her up and got out to open her door.

“You really don’t have to keep doing that. I can open a door, you know.” She smiled and slid out of the seat.

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you always have to.”

“Well, who can argue with logic like that. Here,” she held out a piece of paper and a camera. “That’s my number, use it or lose it, ‘s up to you. That’s the camera I stole. Do what you want with that. Thanks for lunch.” She walked away, leaving Chris standing by his car watching her disappear. He looked down at the things in his hand. She had given him her number and told him to use it or lose it. He was not going to lose it, he knew that for sure. He pulled his phone out before even getting back into his car and put her number in it. Everly McAdams had left a mark on him, and he was pretty sure it was a permanent one.

_____________________________________

“Pippa!” Ever called as she walked into the house. “Pippa, you won’t believe the day I’ve had. I met the most amazing person.”

Ever was still reeling from her lunch with Chris. It wasn’t anything special but it had been amazing. He was so nice and real and she was shocked at how down to earth he was. He wasn’t some celebrity with his head up his ass. She hadn’t been someone who followed celebrity gossip and she really did feel bad about asking about his girlfriend. She had been sure Pippa had mentioned a girlfriend, in one of her celebrity knowledge binges. She didn’t however, remember Pippa saying anything about a breakup, not that she would have cared or even paid attention if she had, in all honesty.

Pippa was the gossip, it came with the territory of working for an entertainment law firm, still, Ever tried not to put much stock in the gossip and she especially hated the pap rags. She hated how society had issues with understanding the lines of privacy simply because of the job someone held, or the status they lived with. It was bullshit and truly a big part of what was wrong with the majority of the world.

“Pippa, where are you?” Ever called, dropping her bag on the couch and walking through the living room. The kitchen was empty, but the sink was full of dishes from that morning. She would have to do those before dinner. She wasn’t overly excited about that.

“Pippa?” she yelled up the stairs, nothing. Bentley hadn’t greeted her either. The back yard was empty. Pippa must have taken the dog on a run. Fine by Ever, she had homework to correct and a lesson to plan. It was easiest to do when the house was silent.

Being home meant the bun was gone and the dress clothes were replaced with shorts and a tank top. Loafers traded out for flip flops. Ever felt human for the first time all day and she was happy to be home.

Her day had been more hectic than she had expected. She had never thought she would see Chris again, but she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. To say he had been very charming and handsome was an understatement. “Dangerously sexy" floated through her mind. Giving him her number had been scary. She hadn’t given her number to a guy in years. She hadn’t even dated anyone since before her marriage.

After she had been dropped off by Chris, her day had settled down somewhat. She hadn’t heard from Chris and she pretty much didn’t expect to hear from him ever again. It sucked and the idea of not getting to know him, not being able to call him a friend saddened her, but such was life. She was a realist, she didn’t live in a fantasy land.

___________________________________

“Chris, man, who are you talking to?” Chris looked up from his phone to find his brother staring at him.

“No one,” he said honestly.

“You have been staring at that phone for the better part of a week, who is she?” Scott asked putting the pool cue down and snatching the phone from him. Chris made a grab for it, but Scott was faster, and blocked by the pool table. Chris made a mental note to kick his brother’s ass later.

“Who’s Ever and why haven’t you actually sent her this text?” Chris sighed.

“Ever’s the girl from the club. I haven’t sent her a text because, I don’t know if I should.” 

He had been toying with the idea of sending her a message ever since she had given him her number, but he kept chickening out. He didn’t really know what to say to her. This was a girl that had taken on at least five reporters and photographers and then dragged his ass home. This was a girl that didn’t let his status prevent her from telling him off or making a joke. She wasn’t shy and she wasn’t afraid of him. But he was kind of afraid of her.

“Wait, the waitress that kicked a bunch of paparazzi asses and took care of your drunk ass? That girl?”

“Well, she’s not actually a waitress. She’s a high school english teacher, but yeah.” 

“And, you haven’t messaged her, why?”

Chris shrugged, unsure of the answer. He had been trying to talk himself into contacting her, but something always stopped him. That tiny voice in the back of his head telling him he had no chance with her. That he was too messed up, that his life wasn’t normal enough, that she would get tired of his always being away. That she deserved better than him.

“This isn’t about your ex is it? You aren’t still hung up on her, are you?”

“No, it’s not. I swear.” Chris was absolutely sure it wasn’t about his ex. He hadn’t even thought about her in the week since he had met Ever. Well, maybe it had a little to do with his ex, but not in the way Scott meant. He was more worried that the same thing would happen again. That he wouldn’t be enough for someone. That he would be away for too long and whoever he gave his heart to next would find someone else, someone who was always around. Someone who didn’t have a job he was married to.

Scott rolled his eyes and pushed a button on Chris’s phone. A whooshing sound told him the text had been sent. “There, now we wait and see if she messages you back.”

“Scott, I should…” But what he should do never came out of his mouth. His phone beeped and he reached for it.

“Oh, look at that! The teacher messaged you back.” Scott slipped out of Chris’s grip and vaulted the couch. “Let’s see what she has to say.”

Scott ran up the stairs and into the living room, Chris right behind him. “Well, she’s either very dim, or she’s mad at you.”

“What? Why? What did she say?” Chris collided with Scott, sending them both to the floor with a loud crash. A tangle of limbs scrambled around the floor, the owners trying to catch purchase on anything that would allow them to get upright, with the cell phone as their trophy.

“HA!” Chris shouted jumping to his feet, the phone clutched tightly in his hand.

“Damn it!” Scott said dusting himself off.

Chris looked down at his phone, the text message open on the screen. He frowned and decided to call her instead.

______________________________

“Pippa, I’m going out! I’ll be back later. Don’t wait up.” Ever opened the front door and raced down the driveway before Pippa could call her back. She didn’t want to have to explain why she was suddenly much more dressed up and heading out at 9pm on a Sunday night.

The call from Chris had taken Ever by surprize, she had been sitting on her bed when….

“Ever, your phone.” Pippa called from the living room.

“What about it?” Ever was too busy reading through the creative writing essay in her hand to really pay attention to Pippa. Some of her students had some real promise when it came to writing.

“It’s going off.”

“Answer it.” Ever’s eyes scanned the paper. Her hand highlighting parts of the story with a bright pink highlighter, alternating with writing notes with her beloved purple pen.

“It’s a text.” Pippa’s voice was suddenly louder, and Ever looked up. Pippa stood in the doorway, shouting over the music that Ever had playing to help keep her mind from wandering away from the task she needed to complete. She reached for the remote to turn the ipod down and looked over her glasses at Pippa.

“Who’s it from?” The only people that ever messaged her where her family, Pippa, and her students.

“I don’t know. Its not a number you have saved in your contacts.” Pippa was still standing in the doorway, staring at the phone.

Ever sighed and put the paper down on the bed, the pens followed after she capped them. “Either give me the phone, or tell me what it says.” Ever was annoyed. She wanted to finish grading the papers and go to bed. She didn’t have time for Pippa’s games.

“Who’s Chris?”

Ever’s eyes widened slightly, she had expected the message to be from one of her students begging her to give them and extension on the final paper that was due in just a few hours. She was used to texts like that. It always happened when a term was coming to an end.

“What?” she asked, trying to hide her shock. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. She had waited long enough for a text from him. She wasn’t going to act like it was everything she wanted, in front of her nosy roommate.

Pippa and Ever were best friends, they had been college roommates in Boston. Pippa had been the one to introduce David to her. Pippa knew everything there was to know about Ever, accept this. Ever didn’t want to tell her about this, not just yet. She didn’t want to see the pitying looks or even the hopeful ones. Pippa had been trying for years to convince Ever to date, but the break up of her and David’s relationship was not something she got over very easily.

“It says, ‘Hey, it’s Chris.’ Who’s Chris?” Pippa leaned on the door frame, a smug look on her face her. 

______________________________

“Hey,” Ever said, sliding into the front seat of Chris’s SUV.

When Chris had asked her out, if she could really call it that, she had been close to saying no. Images of her broken heart flashed through her mind. Remembering the pain David had caused her when she had discovered his cheats and lies, her blood had run cold and she had almost said no.

“You’re nothing, Ever! No one will ever love you.” David’s voice echoed in her head. “You need me, I’m the only one that could ever love you. You walk out that door, be prepared to live a life of solitude. Might as well take your ugly ass to a nunnery and pledge a vow of celibacy.”

His words hurt her, but she left anyway. She was stronger than him, she was stronger than his words and she had left, because a life of solitude was better than a life with him. She had changed after she left him. She was determined to prove him wrong. She was something, she didn’t need him to make her something. It had been his taunting that made her say yes.

“Hey,” Chris said, a smile on his face.

“So, this was your brothers idea, huh?” Ever smirked at Chris. “Decided you’d take pity on the plain Jane, high school teacher, just so you could say you’ve dated normals?” Being around Chris was an instant mood lifter. His smile was infectious and she found she had no problem forgetting about David’s words. She had decided three years ago she wasn’t going to let him ruin her life. She had been happy with the life she led, but if she got to have Chris in it, even as just a friend, she knew she’d be even happier.

Chris sputtered and hung his head, letting it fall onto the steering wheel. Ever knew it wasn’t true but the conversation she had had with him could have gone better.

______________________________

“He’s the guy you brought home from the club Sunday night, isn’t he?”

“I’ve told you a million times, I didn’t bring a guy home.”

They’d had this conversation every day for the last week. Pippa hadn’t been in when Ever got home from work on Monday. She had planned on telling her about Chris, but before Pippa had gotten back from her run with Bentley, she had changed her mind. Chris wasn’t someone she needed to tell anyone about. She had figured she’d never hear from him again. What could a girl like her offer a guy like Chris Evans anyway?

“So you have. Yet, the two sets of dishes in the sink when I got home from work, have yet to be explained.”

She was still kicking herself for not doing the dishes before she left that morning. It would have been so easy to pretend Monday never happened, if she had just done the dishes. Pippa had been bugging her all week, wanting to know who the second set of dishes was for. She hadn’t heard from Chris and she had been trying to forget ever meeting him. A job that was made increasingly harder every time her roommate brought it up, which was almost every hour.

“Can I just have my phone?” She held her hand out, tapping her foot waiting for the phone.

Pippa sighed, “You are seriously no fun. But, word of advice: If a guy takes a week to message you after spending the night in your bed, he’s bad news. Throw him back, Ever. Find someone else.”

“Hey Pippa?” Ever called as her roommate walked away. “How’s Janelle?”

“I don’t want to talk about her,” Pippa growled.

Ever laughed, “I’ll start taking your advice on guys, when you start taking your own advice on picking girls.” If Ever had bad taste in guys, David was evidence enough for that, Pippa’s taste in girlfriends was even worse.

Ever kicked her bedroom door shut and clicked the reply button on her phone. Her fingers slide over the keys, typing out the response.

 

She hit the send button and settled back onto her bed, to finish her work. She had just turned the music back up when her phone started singing. Journey didn’t go too well with her current genre of choice.

“Hello?” She picked up the phone and turned off the music.

“Hey, it’s Chris.”

Ever could hear laughter in the background. “Pretty sure she figured that out from your text, bro,” someone said, and there was a rustling on the phone, a muffled ouch, and Chris was back.

“Sorry about that. My brother thinks he’s funny. I’m pretty sure he’s adopted.”

“I’m still not sure I know who you are,” Ever said, smiling into the phone, trying not to laugh at whatever was going on on the other end of the phone. “Chris is such a common name. Do you have any idea how many guys named Chris I gave my number to in the last… week?” Her voice was soaked in sarcasm. The fact was, she hadn’t given her number out to a guy is more years than she could count.

She and David had been together for seven years, married for five of them. She hadn’t dated in ten. She had met David as a freshmen at the University of Boston, they started dating within three weeks of knowing each other and it had been perfect for five years. It had been the last two years that had put the strain on their relationship. They had decided to have kids. Only Ever had had issues getting pregnant. David had found someone else, who didn’t have issues.

“Uhh,” Chris started to talk but Ever cut him off.

“There was this one guy, he seemed really nice. I gave him my number, but I’m pretty sure he lost it. I can’t imagine why it would take him a week to send a simple text that just said,” Ever made her voice deeper to sound like a guy, “’Hey.’ So tell me, Chris, which of the many men that I frequently give out my number to are you?”

“Chris, ask this girl out,” the guy, Chris’s brother, said in the background. “Any girl that can take you to task the way she just did, needs to be in this family.”

“Shut up, Scott,” Chris said.

“Am I on speakerphone?”

“Nope! I just have really good hearing.” Ever chuckled, she liked Scott, she didn’t know him, but she could tell he was a character.

“Scott, shut up.”

______________________________

“So where are you taking this lowly commoner?” Ever asked, buckling her seat belt and settling in for the ride. Her phone was buzzing in her pocket, but she ignored it.

“You,” Chris said pulling out onto the main road, “need to stop reading so many harlequin romance novels.”

Ever laughed. Open and loud. He was right, she needed to lay off those silly books, but she couldn’t help it. It was the only kind of love and affection she saw in her daily life. She could fit herself in as the main female character and be whisked off into a dreamland of romance and sex. Two things her life had been lacking since her divorce.

“What do you know about harlequin romance? How do you even know I read them?”

“My mom reads them, and I saw a few in your room.”

“You snooped in my room!”

“Of course I snooped! You left me in your house for over an hour while you went on a run. If I hadn’t been so hung over and needed food, I would have snooped even more.”

“I can’t believe you! Going through a girl’s room is like looking through her diary. It’s like a window to her soul.” Ever wasn’t actually mad, she was laughing too much to be mad. She should have known he would explore her room, even her house, but for some reason the thought never occurred to her.

“Well, I promise to let you snoop around my room. I’ll even pretend to be asleep.”

Ever stopped laughing and stared at Chris. Thoughts that shouldn’t be going through her head, indecent thoughts, swam behind her eyes. Images of the man next to her in compromising positions, burst from a locked box in the back of her head. Chris looked over at her. She was sure he could see everything that was going through her head. 

“I mean, wait…. That came out wrong.”

It was dark, and the blush Ever was wearing was hidden under the cover of night. She was insanely thankful for it. She wasn’t shy, by any means, but she wasn’t sure how to respond to what he had said. The hardest part for her to admit was that she wanted him to mean it the way he said. She wanted him to desire her. Not that she was shocked that he didn’t.

Chris laughed, “I’m not sure how to rephrase that without sounding like a dick.”

Ever pursed her lips, “Too bad.” 

The atmosphere in the car changed slightly as Ever met Chris’s eyes. She cleared her throat, unable to believe she actually said that out loud. She didn’t often take chances like that when it came to guys, she didn’t know.

“No, but seriously,” Ever said allowing her eyes to drift from Chris’s face. They had taken a side street she didn’t recognize. “Where are we going?”

“There’s an ice cream shop up here, it’s all organic, home made, it’s the best you’ll ever have. You do like ice cream, right?” For the first time since Ever met Chris, he actually had a worried look on his face.

“Of course I like ice cream, who the hell doesn’t like ice cream?” Chris visibly relaxed and Ever cocked an eyebrow. “Is not liking ice cream a deal breaker for you or something?”

“Not necessarily deal breaking.” Chris parked the car. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Chris ran inside the ice cream shop, leaving Ever confused in the passenger seat.

She knew she should have never agreed to come out with him. She had been content to sit on her bed, papers strewn over the purple and gray duvet. Her hair pulled high in a ponytail, pens of different colors sticking out of the top of her head. Her glasses perched at the end of her nose, while she read over the paper in her hand. With Bentley curled up at the foot of her bed fast asleep and her ipod belting out different variations of angry rock music.

She had been working so hard that weekend. Trying to distract herself from meeting the man whose car she currently sat alone in. He had taken up so much of her time and her thoughts during the week. She had finally convinced herself to let it go. That she would never hear from him again. A story she could tell her friends when they sit and watch an award show that has him winning. She would be able to point to the screen and say, “I met him once, he was so drunk he didn’t even know his own name.” They would all be able to laugh as she retold the tale. All the while pretending she wasn’t slowly dying inside at the lost opportunity to know him better.

Her work had been a good cover for her pining. Summer meant elevated and fast-tracked courses, her term was coming to an end and she was trying to get all the papers graded before the deadline. She had been so close to done, and her mind was starting to fog. The call from Chris came at the exact moment when her resolve was weakest. She was hungry and contemplating ditching the rest of the papers for the morning.

It was late, past 10pm on a Sunday. She was shocked the store was even still open, it wasn’t like there was a very large population in the area. If she hadn’t been with Chris Evans of all people the area they were in would have scared her. It was dark and dirty and not well lit. She still felt kind of jumpy. Chris made her feel safe, she knew it was a stupid feeling. She could take care of herself, she had done it before but having him around, she liked the feeling that she didn’t always need to.

Ever stopped her thoughts right there. “You are a strong, independent person, Ever, you don’t need a guy like Chris to keep you safe,” she told herself out loud to the empty car.

Chris’s words floated back to her, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you always need to.” He had been talking about opening a door and yet the words struck a chord. What was so wrong with allowing someone to take care of her every now and then. She was still able to maintain her independence and be taken care of.

Of course, all of these little revelations Ever was suddenly having, were all dependent on Chris feeling something for her. Other that a great appreciation for taking care of him in his time of need. Which Ever had to admit was unlikely. Chris Evans didn’t date a poor-ass high school teacher with issues.

Chris walked out with a bag in his hand and ran over to the car. “Sorry, they are getting ready to close. I figured we could eat in the car.”

Chris pulled out two bowls and handed Ever one. “I got you a coffee toffee crunch.”

“You are the most beautiful person in the world.” Ever felt something tighten in her chest, it was a feeling she hadn’t felt since she had first met David. It was the feeling of attraction, of want, of lust, taking hold, but there was something else that she couldn’t put her finger on. Something she had never felt before. Ever took the bowl from him. “How did you know?”

“You have a coffee maker in your room, and one in the kitchen. When we had lunch, in the time it took me to finish my sandwich, you drank two large coffees. I figured coffee was a safe bet.”

Ever couldn’t help but be shocked by how observant he was. She was used to being the only one that noticed random, obscure things. Like the way he bit the side of his lip, it was slight, hardly noticeable, except when his lip dented in slightly. 

“Definitely a safe bet, coffee is like air to me. I need it to survive. I could give Tony Stark a run for his money, with how much coffee I drink. And now you know exactly how much of a nerd I am.” Comic book references didn’t typically make her feel ashamed of her nerdiness, but considering who she was talking to, Ever had the desire to put her head in her hands and pretend she was an ostrich until Chris took her home. If it weren’t for the coffee crunch ice cream in her hand, she probably would have.

“It’s okay, I like nerds,” Chris said, putting a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. Ever watched as the spoon was licked clean and decided not to look at him anymore. Her brain was not her friend.

The ice cream though, was amazing, and she told Chris this. She really loved coffee and ice cream and putting them together was one of the best things ever. Ever wasn’t going to call their trip to the ice cream shop a date because Chris hadn’t actually said date. He had asked if she was hungry, because he was and he wanted to know if she would go with him to get something. His brother had said something about a date, but Chris hadn’t, and she wasn’t going to assume.

Chris pulled into her driveway and got out to open her door. For a second, Ever considered doing it herself—fast, before he got there—but she decided not. The night had been perfect and she wasn’t willing to mess up the memory of it for her tiny bit of empowerment. She slid out of the seat and hit the ground. Her feet searched for purchase on the pavement as her balance was lost slightly. She wobbled and fell into the firm body standing next to her.

“Sorry,” she pushed off of Chris, righting herself. Her dress had caught on the lever to adjust the seat and had caused her to lose her balance.

“It’s no problem, but I think the dress is done for.” He pointed to the rip up the side. Ever cursed. She hadn’t heard the rip over the rushing sound of panic in her head as she fell forward. It wasn’t a big rip, but it was in a spot, not on the seam, which meant it was trash. Too bad, she had liked her little sundress.

“You don’t have to walk me to my door, I’ll be fine,” Ever said as Chris fell into step with her.

“Isn’t that how a date is supposed to end though? The guy walks the girl to the door, says good night and makes sure she gets in the house safe and sound.”

“A date, huh? Is that what this is? I thought it was a pity outing.”

Chris pulled her close, his arm wrapped around her back, “There was nothing to pity about tonight. Except not kicking Scott’s ass before calling you. If you want this to be a date, then it’s a date.”

“I had a really good time, on our date.”

Ever raised up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, but caught the side of his lip when he turned his head. His hand slid up her back and around her neck, locking her into the kiss.

His lips were soft against hers, smooth and gentle. His hand was warm on her neck, thumb rubbing the raised skin of her tattoo. The feeling of his hand on her skin made her shiver, goose bumps erupted on her skin.

She hesitated for a second before throwing caution to the wind and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down with her as her feet planted flat on the ground. She felt his lips twitch into a smile before he started to pull back. She caught his bottom lip with her teeth, preventing him from pulling away.

Her grip on his neck didn’t loosen as she pulled him back in for a kiss, mashing her lips to his. His tongue darted out and Ever opened her mouth to allow him entrance. He tasted like chocolate and peanut butter. Their tongues twisted and slid against each other, each one unwilling to let the other win the battle for domination. Chris’s other hand moved from her hip, across the small of her back and slid gently down to cup her ass. A gentle squeeze had Ever moaning into the kiss.

His hands were strong and gentle and she wanted to feel them all over her body. He pulled her closer, her body flush with his. She could feel his strength though his shirt, the hard planes of muscle, toned and smooth. She let her hand slide down his back, feeling the muscles move under her fingers. Her hand moved to his chest, down his stomach and hooked into the belt loop of his jeans. She broke the kiss to smile at him and pulled him forward. Her hand reaching behind her to open the front door. He smirked and picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as he walked through the door, his lips pressed firmly to the pulse point in her neck. She reached for the door and slammed it before they stumbled into her bedroom. Ever was thankful that Pippa lived on the top floor of the house and was hopefully asleep.

Chris kicked the bedroom door shut and pushed Ever against the wall. Ever untangled herself, slid down Chris’s body, her dress hiking up, her feet hitting the floor before she kicked the shoes off. She ran her finger down Chris’s chest, her green eyes locked on his blue as she reached the hem of his shirt and pulled it up, her hands skimming the soft flesh as the shirt slid up. His skin was warm against her hands, his breathing sharp as she watched his chest heave.

Chris let the shirt be pulled over his head and tossed somewhere. Ever would have to search in the morning. Her eyes scanned the pale skin, her fingers ghosting lightly over the tattooed skin on his collar bone and belly. She bit her lip before placing a soft kiss on the tattoo she could reach. Her hands moved to his belt and unhooked it. Chris didn’t move, he stood there watching as she unbuttoned his jeans allowing them to slide down his legs.

Chris toed his shoes off and stepped out of his pants.

“You have me at a disadvantage. I’m almost naked, you’re still fully clothed. I’m not seeing how this is fair.” He moved closer to her, his arm wrapping around her back, coming to rest on the zipper to her yellow sun dress.

She could feel the zipper slide down, the teeth unlatching with each pull. The pressure of the fabric releasing her from its binds. Chris’s hands were warm on her skin as his fingers played with the straps on her shoulder, sliding them down her arms until gravity took the dress the rest of the way, pooling at her bare feet. She stood before him in her simple yellow bra and matching panties.

Chris’s eyes scanned her body, head to toe, taking in the imperfections. It had been so long since a person had looked at her in a way even close to the way Chris looked at her. It was hungry and greedy, lustful and determined. She felt like prey, standing before a predator, waiting to be captured.

“God, you’re beautiful,” his fingers traced the words on her side. Her skin tingled where he touched.

She needed more, she didn’t want to wait. She hooked her pointer fingers into the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down, following the progression all the way to the floor. Her hands moved up firm, muscled legs. Drinking in the man in front of her. Willing her brain to take a photo, one she could remember for all time.

Ever was pulled up forcefully and pushed into the wall. Chris’s lips crashed into hers, and she opened her mouth. It wasn’t the soft gentle kisses from before: it was teeth and tongue, need and desire. Chris’s lips left Ever’s, trailing kisses down her neck and sucking on the pulse at the base between her collarbone and neck. Warmth and desire pooled in her belly as his lips moved lower. His hands wrapped around her back, releasing the hooks of her bra.

His hand slid over her breast, massaging the flesh. His thumb rubbed and then pinched her nipple. His mouth attached to the nipple that wasn’t receiving attention from his hand. Ever moaned at the feeling of his hands on her skin.

Ever reached between them and wrapped her hand around his cock, pumping slightly. She wanted him inside her, more than she wanted anything at that moment. Chris groaned, releasing her breast. He reached for her panties and slid them down, allowing Ever to step out of them before pulling her back in for a kiss. Chris’s hand slid between them, slipping inside her. Ever’s back arched into him at the feel of his fingers moving inside her, gently sliding in and out, teasing her.

“So ready and willing,” Chris whispered in her ear, making her shiver. Her mind was a ball of mush—no thoughts, just feelings. Her body felt like it was on fire; she could hardly catch her breath. It felt like the oxygen had been sucked out of the room when Chris’s fingers were removed, and she whimpered at the loss. Chris lifted her up, her legs went around his waist again as he slid inside, a cry escaped Ever’s lips as he slid out and slammed back into her.

There was nothing soft about this. Chris wasn’t gentle and Ever didn’t want him to be. Ever let her body be taken over by the feelings Chris was pulling out of her with every thrust. With every groan and sigh that slipped from his perfect lips, she could feel the tingling in her toes grow, the coil in her belly twist tighter, waiting to snap free and send her over the edge. Her body felt weak, her legs like jell-o as she held on to Chris, her head buried in his neck. When the coil snapped she bit down into the flesh of his neck hard, her mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. Chris shouted, Ever used the last of her strength to cover his mouth with her hand. She’d apologize later. One final thrust, Chris came with a soft grunt buried behind her hand.

His knees gave out and they slid to the floor breathing heavily. Ever’s mind cleared slowly as she sat curled up in Chris’s lap. Her mind wanted to chastise her for allowing everything that had happened to happen. She wasn’t someone that just slept with someone, she especially didn’t take random guys she barely knew to bed. But she wasn’t going to let herself feel bad for what they had done. She had enjoyed it and she was pretty sure Chris had, too. Even if they hadn’t made it to the bed.

Ever started to laugh, maybe it was the endorphins that she had just released or the absurdity of the thought, but she laughed. She laughed hard, tears streamed down her face and she tried to catch her breath.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had that reaction after sex.” Chris’s lips twitched, he was trying not to laugh as his eyes followed Ever’s progression into hysteria.

“We never made it to the bed.” Her words were broken up by her gasping for breath, struggling to get the words out. She laughed harder, falling out of Chris’s lap.

Chris shrugged and stood up, his hand held out for Ever. Her laughter died as quickly as the fit came on, as she looked up. Her lust abated, she took in the naked form of the man before her. Pale skin, tattooed, sharp angles and firm muscle. He was a god standing before her. She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet.

“How about we try out that bed, right now.” He made her feel like a goddess. He pulled her to the bed and she smiled.

________________________

Ever sat at her desk, eyes tired from lack of sleep, reading over the papers she had neglected. A soft oversized black tee shirt and panties were all that she wore. She was tired and wanted to sleep. Her body had been put through more physical activity in the last few hours than it had been in the last three to five years. She couldn’t complain though. She was happy for the first time in a long time. Part of her expected it to be a dream, that she would wake up and everything that had happened would be a figment of her imagination.

She’d wake up on the couch in the living room, one of her romance books on her face because she had fallen asleep reading. It was a plausible scenario, it had happened before. The only thing different this time was the man passed out, snoring softly, on her bed. Bentley curled into his side. It was a great picture, one she had taken the opportunity to snap, after she covered him up with a blanket.

She wanted to sleep, her body was tired. She wanted to feel his body curled around hers, feel his breath on her neck, but she had things to do. Chris was a distraction, one she would willingly lose herself in over and over. She needed to focus on her work.

Ever put down the paper, took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. The words on the paper were starting to blur. She considered her bed but decided not.

Chris scared her. She didn’t know where their relationship, if you could even call it that, was going, and that scared her. She didn’t like uncertainty and she didn’t like giving her heart up so easily. But she had. She gave him everything the day she met him and she hadn’t even meant to.

She had no way of knowing that one meeting would change things for her, permanently. Chris could walk out her front door in the morning and never come back, but her life would be different still.

Her heart would be completely broken if he did walk out, but something had clicked within her, something that had needed fixing since David had broken it. Something Chris had unknowingly given back to her. Her self worth. David had knocked her down, kicked dirt in her face, and screamed that she was nothing, so often that she had started to believe it. In three meetings with Chris she had found it again. Buried deep under a pile of self doubt and loathing, her self worth had sat quivering in a corning shaking with fear to see the light of day, but still Chris had found a way to bring it back. A shining beacon of hope and power.

Ever felt stronger than she had in a long time. Like she could do anything she wanted and she deserved everything good that happened to her.

Strong arms wrapped around her and she jumped slightly. She had been so wrapped in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed Chris waking up.

“Didn’t mean to scare you.” His lips pressed softly to the nape of her neck.

“I was just reading an essay. The term is ending and I need to finish this.” She held up the paper to show him the piece she had been reading before her mind had wandered.

“Its 3am, you have class tomorrow. Come to bed.” Ever nodded, she needed to be at least a little rested if she was going to make it to class and be coherent for her students. She followed Chris into the bed and snuggled beside him, letting the blankets and his arm cocoon her. Bentley settled at their feet. It shocked her how easily her will bent to his requests. He wasn’t asking anything terrible, just for her to go to sleep. Still it amazed her how easily she gave in to him.

“I like you in my shirt,” he said. Ever smiled, letting herself drift soundlessly into sleep.

______________________________

Epilogue

Chris stood in the entrance hall of the Burbank house, they didn’t often stay there any more, but it was closer to the premier so it was logical to use it as the base for getting ready. They hadn’t been willing to let the house go, even after Ever had moved in with him and Pippa had decided to buy her own house.

The house held sentimental value for both of them. Ever mostly because it had been a family home. Both her mother and grandmother had grown up in a house built by her great-grandmother. It held something a little different for Chris.

The little yellow house with the teal trim in the heart of Burbank held his heart like nothing else would, because it was where everything had changed. It was where he had met the person that changed his life forever. It was where he had unknowingly fallen in love.

The descent had been fast and hard. He had landed with a resounding crash. Waking up the night after their second date, gasping for breath after a particularly bad dream about Ever. The feeling of loss, the pain, was like nothing he had ever felt before. He had been cheated on and dumped in the most humiliating ways, but a simple dream had taken him to his knees.

He had called her as soon as he caught his breath. The rational part of his brain telling him that she wasn’t going to pick up because it was 2am and she was asleep, not because she had left. She hadn’t packed all her things and gone back to her abusive ex-husband. He wasn’t going to get a call from his mom asking if he’d heard the horrible news about Everly McAdams.

She had picked up though. She hadn’t ignored his call because she was asleep. The phone had rung exactly twice before her sweet, sleep logged voice met his ears. He had let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding when she had said his name. The panic in his voice must have been clear, because Ever had hung up quickly. She and Bentley had been at his house within an hour. He pretty much hadn’t let go of her since. 

It was an irrational fear, one that he still held onto. He couldn’t get the image of her cold dead eyes out of his head, even years after. The milky white skin, the bright red blood, the fear and pain gripped him tight whenever he thought about it. He tried not to, though it didn’t always work. He still had the dream every once in awhile. He was always thankful when he woke up and she was sound asleep next to him.

They were in a good place, they had fun and loved life. Chris had been busy with his movies and Ever had gone with him to every one of his shoots. She had even quit her job as a high school teacher. Instead she taught wherever he was filming. A few of the cast members had needed tutors while filming and she had willingly taken the jobs. If there was nothing for her do teaching-wise, she was often found behind her computer screen, headphones on, working on her novel. When they were home, she was teaching online courses through UCLA. She had been willing to pack up and follow him wherever he went, but she wasn’t willing to give up her career, or her independance. He would never ask her to, either.

Chris loved that he got to see her every day. On location or at home, he was lucky she was with him. She had given everything up to follow him because he had been worried that she would get sick of him not being around. Her fear that he would get sick of her always being around wasn’t even considered a possibility to him. She challenged him in every way possible. She wasn’t afraid to put him on his ass if he was being a jerk. She was a straight shooter and her aim was always true.

He loved her, more than he thought he could love someone. The woman that had been his knight in shining armour. He wasn’t used to being the one that needed rescuing, but that night had changed so much. He didn’t really even remember it, but somehow it had set in motion one of the most amazing stories of his life. He couldn’t wait to tell his grandchildren how their grandmother was the most amazing woman in the world. Though for that to happen, they’d need to talk about marriage and having kids.

Two topics he had been reluctant to broach, mostly because her last marriage hadn’t ended the best. He wasn’t sure where she stood on the topic.

His watch beeped pulling him from his thoughts. He looked down at the time, he had been standing in the entry for over 40 minutes waiting for her. Getting ready for premiers had always been time consuming but women took ten times longer. He was lucky, Ever rarely made a fuss about her makeup or her hair, a ponytail and some eyeliner and lipstick was standard fare with her. Tonight though, was her first premier and everyone had made a fuss about it. To the point that she had almost backed out. Chris hadn’t been about to let that happen.

“Ever, we’re going to be late,” he called down the hall. He hadn’t been allowed to see what she was wearing. His stylist had put Ever’s look together and had hired a makeup artist and hair stylist.

“Be patient!” one of the stylists yelled.

All he knew about Ever’s outfit was that his tie and dress shirt matched. He was wearing a black suit with a bright blue shirt and silver tie. He wasn’t typically one for matching, but the stylist had assured him they would look amazing together. He hadn’t even tried to argue, Ever could show up at a red carpet event in jeans, a band tee and flip flops; she would still be the most amazing looking woman there. He was simply her back drop.

There was a sound of movement from down the hall and Ever swore. “Who was the man that invented high heels? What jackass sat there and thought, ‘Yes, I will design five inch heels for women to wear. It will make their legs look amazing. Who cares if they aren’t comfortable? They look good!’ Satan, that’s who!”

Ever never wore heels. She lived in flats, flip flops and her running shoes. There wasn’t a single pair of shoes in her closet that elevated her from the ground. She was happy with her 5’4 height, and even happier to keep both her feet firmly on the ground.

“I’m going to be the only person in the history of the red carpet to land on her ass. I can’t walk in these.”

Chris snorted.

She must have heard him because her voice grew louder. “If I fall, I’m taking you with me, buddy,” she shouted from her old room.

Chris laughed outright at that. He had no doubt that she would take him down, too. It would make for a great photo.

“Then I’ll just have to keep hold of you so that you don’t fall.” He said, the smile on his lips refusing to go away.

“You’re such a sap, Evans.” Ever stood in the doorway, clutching the frame. “I’m going to break my neck.”

“Shame, it’s such a pretty neck,” the hairdresser, Sandy was her name, said.

Chris wasn’t paying attention. He was too busy looking at the woman before him. Her bright blue dress was breathtaking. It was simple and elegant with some beading around the bodice and waist. it was sleeveless and her creamy skin shone bright against the blue. Her bracelet on her wrist was diamond and sapphire, it was worn on her left wrist, where her tattoo was. He was pleased to see that she hadn’t let them cover her tattoos up. Her diamond necklace and matching earrings sparkled in the light and her brunette hair was pulled to the side in a long braid. Her makeup was simple and elegant, just the way he would expect from her. She was the most amazing person. She was simply perfection standing before him.

“Do you like it?” Ever asked, biting her lip.

Chris was speechless, he still couldn’t believe the woman in front of him had picked him. Out of all the people in the world, she had chosen him. She had to be completely nuts to think he was the right person for her. She was so far out of his league, it was stupid. Yet there she stood, asking if he liked what he saw. She could be wearing a paper bag, covered in dirt, he would still think she was the most beautiful person in the world.

“You look amazing.” Chris moved forward, his eyes never leaving Ever’s. “You are going to be the most beautiful person there. I am the luckiest man alive.” His hand went to Ever’s hips and he pulled her in for a kiss. Gentle and smooth, his lips slid across hers.

“Oh, that’s a good look for you.” She wiped her finger across his lips, soft pink lipstick coming away.

He smiled, “I’ve been told I look good in pink.”

“Yes, well, George has been torturing me with medieval makeup devices for hours. He’s finally done, let’s not mess up his work.” George handed her a tissue and she wiped her thumb. “Shall we go?”

Chris nodded, “Can you walk, or shall I carry you to the limo?”

“Smartass.” Ever grabbed her small silver bag and walked forward, her hand out. “Hand them over.”

Chris knew exactly what she was asking for. His publicist constantly complained that his hands were always in his pockets, it was his default stance. They had even started putting him in three piece suits because of his need to put his hands in his pockets. Ever was asking for his phone and wallet. He handed them over with a roll of his eyes and she placed them in her purse along with her wallet, phone, lipstick and keys. He was always amazed at how little she actually carried around with her. He’d known men to carry more than her.

“Let’s go.” He took her hand and led her forward. He wasn’t all that excited about premiers most of the time, but tonight was different. He got to show the world Ever. He got to tell them all that she was his and no one else’s. He hated all the people that swarmed and snapped pictures of him all the time, but with her by his side, at least he had something better to focus on. Someone to offset the fear and the anxiety that came with the crowds. Someone that he could talk to, keep him distracted. Ever balanced him and that made the crowd easier to deal with.

It was her first premier, not because he hadn’t wanted her there, but because she hadn’t been comfortable with it. It had been hard the first time her face had shown up on a gossip rag with him. She had flipped out, fear about her ex had taken over her typically calm demeanor and Chris had to do a bit of damage control. It had taken months to get her comfortable with having her life displayed for the masses to see. He did everything in his power to keep her in the shadows. Never pushed her to go with him to a premier or press junket. She had asked to go to the premier with him. It was what he had been waiting for.

The limo door opened and as Ever got in, she smiled up at him. “I’m so proud of you. I hope I don’t make you look like a fool. Make sure I don’t fall, okay?”

“I promise to hold you as tight as possible, I’m not going to let you fall. As for making me look like a fool, it’s not even possible.” She slid into the back seat and Chris’s heart swelled. He loved that girl, more than anything in the world.


End file.
